RODBOROUGH COMMON
Visitor Guide and Self-guided Trail Rodborough Common
This open heathland has areas of woodland and acid grassland. It is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust Countryside Services. Management of the area aims at maintaining a balance between the open heath areas and woodland. The circular walk shown in this leaflet is supported by the Forestry Commission through the Woodland Welcome Grant Scheme. Heathland management work is carried out with the support of Countryside Stewardship Scheme funding.
Self-guided Circular Trail This circular trail takes you through areas of open and dense woodland and open heath. It is an easy going route with a sandy surface and two gradients, but no gates or stiles to negotiate. The trail will take between 40 minutes and one hour to complete. Follow the green arrows and always go straight unless the arrows show otherwise.
1. Your walk starts at an open area where we are trying to control the growth of bracken and encourage heather. Bracken suppresses all the other plant species if left unchecked and lowers the diversity of the botanical and wildlife interest. Common lizards and grass snakes can be found here. Both are harmless and very shy.
2. You soon enter an area of mixed deciduous woodland of mainly oak, hawthorn and birch. On your left note the two strange metal covers. These are access covers for boreholes, which go down over 200ft to underground water reserves.
3. As you emerge from the woodland you will begin to cross the main heathland area. At first the trees become a little more scattered and you should see evergreens such as Scots pines. Scots pine and birch tend to be the first trees to colonise open areas of heath. These trees need to be controlled, especially the birch, to ensure the heath remain open. Some are allowed to reach maturity as they offer structure to an otherwise open landscape with the occasional mature pine providing character.
4. The strange looking mown area that you pass through is the runway used by the model aircraft flying club. Many of the model aircraft flyers help heathland management by removing many trees. Much effort is being made in this area to control the bracken, which has threatened to engulf the site. The bracken is 'swiped' each year. Usually it is reduced by over 80% after three years using this method, as are tree seedlings.
5. Shortly after the runway you will be at the highest point of the site. This offers rewarding views to the west and the Hog's Back to the north. If you are visiting the site between July and September, when the bell heather is in bloom, you will be rewarded by the sight of a beautiful purple haze.
6. As you continue you will once again pass through a lightly wooded area, turn right down a small valley. This valley was wooded up to 1990. The wood was harvested and the area is returning to heathland. We have tried to encourage a continuous area of open heath through the entire length of the site to reduce fragmentation. Thursley Common National Nature Reserve (NNR) is just a few metres to the south and Rodborough Common, along with Witley Common, acts as a useful buffer and link to the NNR as well as being important in their own right. As you reach the bottom of the small valley you will be confronted by a thick birch woodland. This will give you an idea of what the site would look like if it was not managed.
7. Turn right here and notice the contrast between the wooded, the semi-wooded and the open areas. The pine trees look much more impressive when they are not lost in the wood.
8. The final stage of the walk will take you through the wooded area; look for the arrow on your left next to the gate. This wood contains many fine oak as well as birch, hazel, rowan, hornbeam and sweet chestnut.
9. Notice the earthwork on your left. This ditch and dyke system used to be quite widespread throughout the county to mark out differences in land ownership. The trees growing on the dyke can give you an indication as to the age. As you go through the woodland you will see some more mown areas. Again this is to control bracken, however this time it is to encourage the next generation of trees through natural regeneration. When you again rejoin the main track you will be about 10 minutes from the car park.
We hope you have enjoyed your visit. If you have any comments, the Countryside Ranger for this site can be contacted on 07968 832501.
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at entrance A286 Haslemere Road Haslemere A286 1 Down Mousehill Car Park and start of trail London
OS Explorer map 145 covers this area. map OS Explorer A3 2 3
h Hill Webb Road 4 Rodboroug
9 A3 8 5 Portsmouth 6 7 500 yards Footpath Bridleway Trail Self-guided (169 acres)
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Site size: hectares 68 Key Rodborough Common Rodborough
Based upon the Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map. 2002 Surrey County Council LA076872, 0 500 metres www.traveline.org.uk Surrey call Traveline 0870 608 2608 call Traveline Surrey For details ofFor in public transport
Visit our website: www.surreywildlifetrust.org Visit our website: Tel: 01483 795440 Email: [email protected] [email protected] 01483 795440 Email: Tel: School Lane, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 0JN. GU24 0JN. Surrey Woking, Pirbright, School Lane, Surrey Wildlife Trust Wildlife Surrey Wildlife Trust, in terms of land managed, the largest Wildlife Trust in England. Trust Wildlife the largest in terms of land managed, Trust, Wildlife 3,200 hectares are managed under a grazing contract with the MOD, making Surrey with the MOD, contract a grazing under managed are 3,200 hectares estate and land managed under access agreements with private landowners. A further with private under access agreements landowners. estate and land managed and public enjoyment. This includes the Trust’s own nature reserves, SCC’s countryside SCC’s reserves, nature own Trust’s This includes the and public enjoyment. currently manage 80 sites covering over 4,000 hectares of land, for nature conservation nature for of land, 4,000 hectares over 80 sites covering manage currently The Trust is a registered charity (No: 208123). In partnership County Council we with Surrey 208123). charity is a registered (No: Trust The Surrey Wildlife Trust’s mission is to protect and regenerate Surrey’s wildlife. Surrey’s and regenerate mission is to protect Trust’s Wildlife Surrey